"Ignored and left in a+e"

I can't seem to get any care now from the Lister either X-ray pathology or accident and emergency. When I attend my treatment is not equal to that of how patients around me are spoken to or cared for. I have severe borderline personality disorder from severe physical and sexual abuse as a child. It is very hard to control my emotions especially in a hospital hostile environment after taking an overdose or cutting badly and feeling suicidal. I recieved

Very poor care and understanding yesterday in a +e after a? TIA on Friday evening and after attending a+e yesterday (Saturday) I received such horrid care and had some comments said to me out loud by a nurse I did not know - said in front of a packed waiting room filled with patients and their supporters all receiving a very very different level of care to me. I was alone as always when I come to the Lister and A+E - always alone - whether it's with an overdose or feeling suicidal or having cut through tendons or deep cutting my arms, I was left on a trolley last year in the corridor and was found having fallen off the high trolley onto the tiled floor fitting from a overdose by a dr who heard happened to see. I never complained, was covered in bruises in the next few days from the fall, I could have - there were enough witnesses to it and I was in Rescus for the next several hrs. I am always alone as I have no family or friends -

I live alone and have never smoked never taken any illegal drugs never had any partners or any poor messed up children as I NEVER EVER want to harm ANYONE even unconsciously - I was harmed so so terribly as a child. I achieved A levels despite such terrible abuse at home and severe bullying all day at school because I wasn't like the other kids. I have lived in Hitchin my entire life and the Lister is my local hospital. I am off the mental health scale for suicide risk and after last night after taking an overdose while in the MAJORS waiting room filled with such a lot of noise from laughing chatting patients and families - curled up in a corner in tears - not knowing whether to just make that overdose final as I am not wanted there as a patient - I told a nurse and they didn't want to know so I left in tears and the security staff watched me off the premises. I rang this morning to A +E to find out a contact name of a manager of A +E so that my GP could write to that person to arrange a meeting with them, myself the Gp And my CPN so we can see if there is any future care from the department and a way they feel we can move on as the care is now non existent and I feel at least worth more than horrid comments said by nurses over the /6months said aloud so others hear and can see me. My call was not wanted and I received no help and that was with me being so polite and positive. The call was abruptly ended by them. I just want to know if I am going to receive any level of reasonable care at the Lister - I am a human being not an animal

Responses

Response from
Peter Gibson, Associate director, public affairs, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 2 years ago

We're really sorry that your experience of the Lister's care over recent weeks and months has not been good - but that doesn't mean we don't care. Clearly you have huge challenges with life - ones that lead you to self-harm and take overdoses on a fairly regular basis. In such cirumstances, you are deserving of the same care and attention as any other patient arriving at our emergency department. We would very much welcome, therefore, you contacting us on generalenquiries.enh-tr@nhs.net so that we can help you set up the meeting you want with the service's clinical leadership. We hope that you will give us that chance.

Imamsum thinks this response is helpful{{helpful-1}} of {{totalOthers()}} other people think so too

Irreespective of the reasons why someone has come to our emergency department, their background our wider health and well-being needs, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Clearly you feel this has not been your experience at the Lister and we're sorry that this is the case. we would like to follow these important matters up with you personally, especially if seeing things through your eyes will help our emergency department colleagues provide better care to both you and others in similar circumstances. We can see that you have tried to do this yourself directly without suvccess, but we are very happy to get this sorted for you - all you need do, is email generalenquiries.enh-tr@nhs.net and we will take it from there.